Man accused of savage beating death in Farmington Hills cries at arraignment: 'I didn't do anything' WITH VIDEO

In a packed courtroom in Farmington Hills Wednesday, 20-year-old Mitchell Young listened as 47th District Court Judge Marla Parker read charges he and Tucker Cipriano were each facing -- the most serious being first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder for the slaying of Robert Cipriano early Monday.

Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor John Skrzynski stood, unfazed by the outburst.

"It's just a shame the young man didn't show the same compassion while cracking (open) heads during this inhumanely brutal crime," he said.

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Cipriano, 19, and Young, 20, both of Farmington Hills, are charged with beating Cipriano's 52-year-old father Robert when they broke into the Cipriano family home at 2:50 a.m. Police said they were confronted by the family and used a baseball bat in the attacks.

They are also charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder for the beatings of Rosemary Cipriano and Salvatore Cipriano, Tucker's mother and brother, as well as one count of armed robbery.

Young was arrested at the house. Cipriano escaped and was later arrested at a house on Knowlson Street in Keego Harbor.

First-degree murder carries a penalty of mandatory life imprisonment. Assault with intent to murder and armed robbery each carry a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges and asked for court-appointed attorneys.

More than a dozen people sat watching intently as the pair were arraigned by video. Some gasped when Cipriano first appeared on screen. Wearing a gray T-shirt, he listened as charges were read, sometimes holding his head. He said he had no current address.

Asked by Judge Parker about past convictions, he said he had not shown up for his last probation meeting. Police had reported Cipriano had run-ins with law enforcement, and was arrested last June after officers discovered he was carrying a morphine pill, according to court records. He was also carrying a 2-inch razor blade. Officers testified Cipriano said it was for protection, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 153 days in the Oakland County Jail and two years of probation.

Skrzynski said Cipriano was an "absconder on probation," adding because the "facts in the case are horrific, there is no reason (to permit bond be allowed)."

Bond was denied for both Cipriano and Young, and both were told by Parker to have no contact with each other or with the Cipriano family.

Both men are scheduled to return to court at 8:30 a.m. Friday for a pre-exam conference.

After the half-hour arraignment, a woman who said Cipriano lived with her last fall, Christine Frederick of Farmington Hills, talked about him outside the courtroom.

"I love that kid," she said.

She said she was angry with Cipriano's birth parents, who gave him up for adoption.

"(Adopted) kids feel so abandoned and alone," she said. "It's a tragedy. Tucker was a good man, he's a child, really, that needs help.

"Tucker's real mom (birth mother) just died and that is when he went off the deep end."

She said Tucker is a "good boy with a kind heart," and she said she didn't believe he would have done this to his father.

"He loved his father with all his heart," she said.

"Those are two kids who are lost and confused," she said.

She said Tucker was someone who had to be taken by the hand.

Alex Stone, a high school classmate, said in his couple of encounters with Cipriano, he appeared to be a "quiet guy, a nice guy, maybe a little more introverted."

He wasn't aware of Cipriano being around drugs. "Everybody is making the kid out to be a crackhead," he said, but Stone said he saw him recently and "he seemed fine."

Comfort for the family

At Detroit Catholic Central High School -- the Novi high school where twins Salvatore and Tanner Cipriano are juniors, a banner has signatures of about 1,000 students. The banner is simple, "Sal and Tanner, Your CC Brothers Are With You."

"It went out Tuesday, a huge banner of support," said the Rev. John Huber, principal of Catholic Central. The 8-foot banner now hangs inside Botsford Hospital where Salvatore and Rose, his mother, lie recuperating after being attacked.

Huber said the student council is considering announcing a "Solidarity Dress-Down Day" for Friday.

"Our kids are praying and praying hard (for the family)," Huber said.

Salvatore plays baseball, and Tanner is a trombone player and a track-and-field athlete.

Huber said Catholic schools around the area have sent flowers and are praying.

"Sometimes the press shows us as competitors on the athletic fields but we are all friends and support one another," he added.

"The family is very present at the hospital," Huber said. "Rose is one of eight children and some are coming in from out of the country. Bob's brothers are there."

Robert died at the home of blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office.

A hospital spokesperson released a statement from the many members of the Cipriano and Trahan families, many of whom have traveled to the area to wait. Rose's maiden name is Trahan.

"The Cipriano and Trahan families wish to express our heartfelt appreciation for the community of support, love and prayers that have been so present in our lives these past two days. We are a large family and are gathering from all over the country to be here to support Rose and Salvatore. As we work to cope with the reality that in an instant changed all of our lives, we are grateful for the compassion and competence that we have experienced in working with the Farmington Hills Police Department. Botsford Hospital has provided excellent medical care for our family, kept us informed and has answered any and all of our questions. Our family members continue to be in critical condition. We continue to pray for their recovery and welcome your thoughts and prayers as well. Thank you."

Contact Carol Hopkins at 248-745-4645 or carol.hopkins@oakpress.com. Follow her on Twitter @waterfordreport or on Facebook @OPcarolhopkins.